Queen Elizabeth II hospitalized for stomach bug

By Matt Smith, CNN

Updated 7:34 PM ET, Sun March 3, 2013

The life of Queen Elizabeth II 44 photos

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II opens a reburbished wing at Somerset House in London in 2011. February 6 marks 63 years since the Queen ascended the throne. Click through the gallery to see more photos from her life:

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The life of Queen Elizabeth II 44 photos

Elizabeth was born April 21, 1926, in London. She is held here by her mother, Elizabeth. Her father would later become King George VI.

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The life of Queen Elizabeth II 44 photos

Princess Elizabeth in 1928.

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The life of Queen Elizabeth II 44 photos

Princess Elizabeth is seen with her uncle Edward, Prince of Wales, during a visit to Balmoral, Scotland, in September 1933. He would go on to become King Edward VIII in 1936. But when he abdicated later that year, Elizabeth's father became King and she became heir presumptive.

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The life of Queen Elizabeth II 44 photos

Princess Elizabeth is seen in the Duchess' box during a pantomime act at London's Lyceum Theater in February 1935.

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The life of Queen Elizabeth II 44 photos

From left, Princess Elizabeth, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret wave to the crowd from the Royal Balcony of Buckingham Palace on June 22, 1939.

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The life of Queen Elizabeth II 44 photos

A 14-year-old Princess Elizabeth, right, sits next to her sister for a radio broadcast on October 13, 1940. On the broadcast, her first, she said that England's children were full of cheerfulness and courage.

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The life of Queen Elizabeth II 44 photos

Princess Elizabeth shakes hands with an officer of the Grenadier Guards on May 29, 1942. King George VI made Elizabeth an honorary colonel in the Royal Army regiment.

With the Drakensberg Mountains behind her, Princess Elizabeth sits in South Africa's Natal National Park on April 21, 1947, her 21st birthday.

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The life of Queen Elizabeth II 44 photos

This portrait of the British royal family was taken in July 1947, after Princess Elizabeth, far left, got engaged to Prince Philip of Greece, a lieutenant in the British Navy. He is second from left. To his left are Queen Elizabeth, King George VI and Princess Margaret.

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The life of Queen Elizabeth II 44 photos

The Royal Wedding Party waves from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on November 20, 1947. After becoming a British citizen and renouncing his Greek title, Philip became His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His wife became the Duchess of Edinburgh.

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The life of Queen Elizabeth II 44 photos

Princess Elizabeth smiles in March 1950 as she arrives to a state banquet at the French Embassy in London's Kensington Palace Gardens.

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The life of Queen Elizabeth II 44 photos

Elizabeth ascended to the throne in February 1952, when her father died of lung cancer. Here, the new Queen leaves the Royal Archers Hall in Edinburgh after a ball in June 1952. It was the first function she attended as Queen following her father's death.

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The life of Queen Elizabeth II 44 photos

Queen Elizabeth II walks to the altar during her coronation ceremony on June 2, 1953.

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The life of Queen Elizabeth II 44 photos

Queen Elizabeth II on the balcony of Melbourne's Government House, during her tour of Australia in March 1954.

Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the lining of the stomach and intestines. Though commonly known as "stomach flu," it is not caused by the influenza virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Elizabeth already had canceled a planned trip to Wales on Saturday after exhibiting symptoms of the illness, Buckingham Palace said. All official engagements this week will be postponed or canceled.

Gastroenteritis is usually caused by a virus and passed person to person, said Dr. Corey Siegel, a gastroenterologist and professor at Dartmouth College's Geisel School of Medicine. But it can also be caused by bacteria, either foodborne or personally transmitted, he said.

The bug usually has to run its course. But doctors often give hospitalized elderly patients intravenous fluids to prevent dehydration, which can lead to kidney problems, Siegel said.

Elizabeth celebrated her 60th anniversary on the throne in 2012 and turns 87 in April. She was last hospitalized in 2003 for knee surgery.

Her husband, the 92-year-old Prince Philip, was hospitalized three times between December 2011 and August 2012 -- once for treatment of a blocked coronary artery and twice for a bladder infection.